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my bigfoot experience


jtheat

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I debated with myself about sharing this. I know there will be those that will not believe me. That use to bother me but now that I am almost 60 yrs old, I really don't care if anyone believe me or not. It doesn't change a thing.

So here goes...

Time: Fall of 1976

Location: Outside of Chilhowie, Va. (Smyth County)

During that time, we live in a small house on a gravel road about 5 miles or so S or SW of Chilhowie. The house we lived in was directly across the road there was the foothill of the Jeffersons National Forest. Behind the house were a field and a small stream. At that time, there were just a few houses in the area. The nearest neighbor was about 1 mile away in each direction. Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the road. We only lived there for two months until a condominium was available in Marion, Va. I search Mapquest to see if could help me recall the name of the road but unfortunately it didnt.

Weather: Warm 60 degrees and clear. No wind that I remember.

Time of year: Early Fall

A friend and I made plans to go hunting on a fall Saturday morning. We were going to hunt in the mountains across from where I lived at that time. Very early that Saturday morning, my friend called to cancel due to his wife being called in to work and he had to baby-sit. I was very dissappointed. I was excited about hunting and did not want to call off the trip so I decided to go hunting alone against the advice of the my friend. I had just move to Chilhowie from the Columbus, Ohio just a month before and was looking forward to hunting in the area. We had nothing like this type of wilderness in central Ohio and I really wanted to go hunting and to walk the mountains so I went anyway. I now wished I didn't.

Since the slope in front of my house is very steep, I drove several miles down the road to an area where there is a gap that was easier to climb. I had a 12 gauge shotgun that held 5 shells (buckshot), a backpack with a thermos of coffee, sandwich and some extra ammunition. I also had binoculars and a .45 SW in the trucks glove compartment. I did not take them with me. I didnt think I would need more than a 12 guage.

I spent about an hour zig zag climbing the mountain gap when I came to a level clearing near the top of one of the small peaks where I stopped to catch my breath. As I looked around, I saw in the distance what appeared to be a green teepee just inside of the wood line next to a tree. I was curious what it was so I walked over to take a look at the structure. I was cautious since I knew that there were moonshine stills in the mountain and that moon-shiners did not like people anywhere near their stills. As I approached it, I saw that it was constructed with a bunch of branches stacked against several limbs of two small trees that were bent to the ground. The branches were obviously torn from trees or bushes very recently since the leaves were still fresh and green. The end of the branches was still sticky with tree sap. I could see an opening and more green leaves on the ground inside of the structure and it looked as though it has been slept in recently. It was apparent that someone made this thing and was using it as a shelter. I thought there just might be a moonshine still around nearby and that those taking care of the still might have used this to catch a nap or use for shelter. I thought that it would probably be wise to move to leave the area.

I walked another half hour through the woods on a path on an angle toward where I came from, when I came to another opening to a nearby meadow or grassy area. When I arrived at this opening, I decided to take a break and have some coffee. I sat down against a tree, leaned back and was enjoying my coffee when some strange things began to happen. As I was sitting there, something small hit me on top of the head. At first, I thought it was a nut from the tree but when it fell into my lap I saw it was a smooth round stone about the size of a quarter. As I was looking at the stone on my lap, another stone, a little larger hit me in the arm. The stones came from the left rear side of the tree from the grassy tree line at the edge of the woods about 20-25' away. This both puzzled me and frightened me. I jumped up and grabbed my shotgun. I yelled out very loudly that if someone was playing a joke, it wasnt smart to throw stones at a guy with a 12 gauge shotgun. I have a hearing problem, but back then my hearing was better than it is today. I listened and looked around to see if anyone was out there. I did not hear or see anything. I then decided it was time to get the hell out of there. I picked up my backpack and started across the meadow when a flurry of about 3 or 4 egg sized rocks went flying by my head with one striking my backpack. I felt that someone was trying to hurt me now and I was p***ed. I immediately turned and fired two shots in the air and yelled for the stone thrower to grow some balls and come out. I stood there for about 2 minutes looking into the woods and the tree line to try to see who in the hell was throwing those stones or if anyone would step out and apologize for a bad joke. I was angry as well as frightened. No one came out or said anything.

Just to my right was a small stream in the middle of a gully that curved around into the forest behind the tree that I was sitting under just a few minutes ago. I decided that I would walk up this gully to see if it would take me behind of whoever was throwing the stones hoping I could find this person. As I was walking in the gully, I came to an area where there was a very nasty foul odor. It was so strong that it stopped me in my tracks and made me cover my face with a glove to mask the smell. It smelled like a combination of really rancid feces combined with a wet dog smell. It was so strong that I look all over the ground around of me to see if I could find something that was responsible for making that smell. I walked forward very carefully looking both at the ground and the woods in front of me. If it was dead animal or dung on the ground I definitely did not want to step in it. The smell was nauseating. When I came to the area about 30 yards behind of the tree that I previously sat under, I slowly walked up the grade to see if I could sneak up and surprise whoever was throwing the rocks. As I walked up the grade toward the tall grass on the tree line, the horrible smell became even stronger. I then came to an area where the grass was matted down and found a pile of rocks, some being as big as a baseball, with two or three the size of a basketball that obviously came from the stream I just walked by. The stones were still wet.

After seeing these rocks, I was very puzzled and was beginning to become frightened. I knew that someone was just there and I decided it was time to get the hell out of there. Thats when all hell broke loose.

As I started to walk away there was an EXTREMELY loud growl/howl that sounded like it was right behind of me. The sound was so loud that my eyeballs vibrated. I ducked and spun around and pointed my shotgun in the direction of the sound. As I spun around, about 30 feet away, in the high grass near the area I just left, I saw a very large creature or person standing near the area where I found the wet stones. I did not know what the hell I was looking at. Just so you know, back in 1976 I have never heard of or knew anything about Big Foot. I had absolutely no frame of reference to identify what I was looking at. The first thing I thought was bear, but I immediately discarded that thought - it was not a bear. Then I thought it was a gorilla but I thought what the hell is a gorilla doing in the mountains, but as I starred at it, I realized it looked far too human to be a gorilla. Then I thought it might be a "wild man" or a hermit. My mind was spinning. I had no idea what it was. My mind could not make any sense of what I saw. It was extremely tall and the hair on its head was rounded over as a crest. That is what made me first think it was a gorilla. But everything else looked to be mostly human but far, far larger. It was massive and very muscular. It was covered with dark brown coarse looking hair about 6 long with less hair on the face and somewhat less hair on the chest. The face is what looked to be more human or part human and part ape. Its eyes were dark (did not see any whites) and the nose was wide and flat, but still looked very human. The mouth was wide and the lips were somewhat thin but they still also looked very human in appearance. The skin on the face was dark brown with a wide jaw and chin. The eyebrow ridge stuck out more than a human. The head and shoulders looked like a bodybuilder's physique. Its arms were far longer than a mans arm. It looked to extend down to just above its knees. You could see some dark brown on the chest and for that reason my impression is that it was a male, not a female creature. It sort of looked like the picture of a Neanderthal you see in the history books, except it had far more hair.

During that time, I was stunned and frozen in my tracks. This thing then snarled and growled a low pitch menacing growl. It lips pulled up when it snarled and I could see the teeth were also human in appearance, though much bigger. The look on its face left no doubt that it was angry - and when it took two quick steps toward me, I turned and ran faster than I ever had in my entire life. I could tell from the crashing and stomping behind of me that it was chasing me. I did not think that my shotgun had a chance in hell of dropping that thing otherwise I would have stopped and shot. I am not sure that the .45 I left in my truck would have stopped it. I just kept on running for what seems like forever. I could tell that it was getting closer but I did not want to turn and look though I did glance back a couple of times to see if it was gaining on me. I could hear what sounded like limbs breaking. As I was running down the mountain gap (the way I come up) a limb about as big as my arm came flying by my head. I didn't slow down. I then turned from the path down the gap that I was running on to a shortcut down a very steep side of the mountain toward the road. I ran/slid mostly slid- down the side of the mountain. I twice took a quick glimpse over my shoulder and I could see that it was behind of me and getting closer. It appeared to be 2 or 3 steps behind of me. I had a feeling that he could easily catch up but was maintaining a distance from me.

It was a long way down to the road, but about half way down the mountain, I could see my pickup truck parked along the road about 200 yards away. I angled toward the truck. When I got to the bottom, I ran to the truck and tried to open the door when I realized that my keys were in the backpack, which was torn open during my descent down the side of the mountain. I almost panicked trying to find the keys. I could not bring myself to look to see where the creature was. I quickly found the keys, threw the pack on the road, and unlocked the truck door and glove box to get the .45. I turned expecting to see this thing beside of the truck or reaching in to grab me. However, this thing had stopped about 30 yards away under a tree that I just ran past toward the truck. It was standing there with it arm holding on the branch above its head in a way a person would while resting. It was amazing to see how big the arms were on this thing. I still could not see anything below mid thighs since it was standing in the tall grass by the tree. I could tell that it was easily 7 tall or more base on the height of the limb, which was about 10-11 about the ground. I was thoroughly winded and breathing very hard and sucking air but it did not look like it was breathing hard at all. It still had a very angry look on its face and the lips were still pulled back in a snarl - but it did not move past that tree. I got the feeling it did not want to come out onto the road. I debated taking a shot at it with the .45 but I was afraid of provoking it. I also think it was the fact that it looked too human and I just couldnt do it. However, if it would have come toward the truck, I would have shot it and emptied my .45 no doubt in my mind. But while it was standing still, I couldnt shoot. I felt safe in the truck with the .45. I sat there for a few more seconds looking at it when I took a pair of binoculars off of the seat to get a close up look at its face. When I looked through the binoculars, it had turned its head away from me looking upward toward the slope of the mountain. All I saw was the back of its head. I dropped the binoculars down to see what it was looking at. Up the mountain side, I could tell that something was coming down the side of the mountain really fast. The bushes and trees were shaking as though something big was coming through. The thing then turned and looked toward me again still snarling. I had a feeling that another one was coming and I was not going to stay around to see. I stepped on the gas and left as fast as I could.

Later at home, I was shaking like a leaf and it took a long time for me to calm down. I think I was in a state of shock. I couldnt stop trembling. After I calmed down, I thought more about what happened. It was evident that this thing could have caught me easily. The few times I glanced back I saw that it could have easily grabbed me but it didnt. I now have the feeling that it wanted to make sure that I was leaving. The speed that 2nd one (the one I never saw) was coming down the mountain was incredible. It was almost like a boulder crashing down the mountainside. I now believe that it didnt intend to harm me but it had every intention of scaring the hell out of me. Maybe I am attributing human attributes to this thing but it looked human enough to do so.

I called my friend (that I was supposed to go hunting with) later to try to talk with him about what I saw but I couldnt tell him everything. I kind of glossed over some of the thing so he would not think that I was crazy. He could tell that I was really shaken up and he kept on asking what I saw. He asked if I saw a bear, bobcat, moon-shiners or something else. I replied that I was not sure what I saw. He then chewed me out for going hunting alone. He told me that in the past some hunters that were very familiar with the mountains have gone hunting and have never been returned. He made me promise that I would never again go hunting without a partner. That was an easy promise to keep. I have NEVER gone hunting again. I have NEVER been in the woods since then and I never will go into the woods again not even in Ohio where I moved back to several years later.

For the rest of the time I lived in that house I was constantly on alert. I made sure that I was with my wife and my daughter every time they went outside to either work in the garden or to play. I kept the .45 with me at all times out of sight. I did not want to frighten them.

I was very happy when the condo was ready and we could move to Marion. I never told my wife what I saw. I did not want to frighten her. She knows something happened since I never went hunting again. She asked me several times why I quit hunting. I just told her it was too tiring to climb the mountains.

Since moving back to Ohio, I sold my guns (except for the .45). I have no intentions of ever going into the woods again, even with a group of people. I use to love the woods, but not anymore.

I have not told too many about what happened that day. I do know this they are real and someday there will be proof. I know I dont need any proof.

Edited by jtheat
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What happened to Neo's post?

Good story. Yeah, I can almost hear the footsteps trampling over here to start in on you. Good luck!

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Neo's post was removed because we're looking for polite, respectful replies and his was anything but that.

Jtheat welcome to the forums and thank you for posting your story for us. While some people will meet any stories of such encounters with a certain degree of skepticism i'm hopeful the responses here will remain civil and constructive nonetheless.

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Saru,

Whatever Neo posted, it could not be any different that what I have alread heard from some. Skepticism use to bother me but not anymore. Thanks anyway though.

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well, i really hope youre not making this up, because im a firm believer in the apemen, world wide. youve got one heck of a story there. i almost wish you went back with a large group of people next time.

this story also shares similar elements of others who have said to have been chased Away by the creature, despite theyre more than sure it could have caught them, yet it didnt. but it was either scaring them away due to territory, or possibly playing.

great account either way.

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Usually I'm not too big on Bigfoot topics (especially tl;dr topics), but based on the replies you've gotten so far I decided to give it a go. And I am impressed. Interesting tale you've decided to share with us today. I really don't know what to say... I mean, it's either black or white--this is a true story or it is entirely fabricated. I don't know which one I would lean more toward, though I would honestly like to believe that this is a true encounter with something unidentifiable. Either way, I did enjoy reading it, so thanks for posting.

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cool story jtheat. Examples like this are the ones that really frustrate me though because as somebody else pointed out, there is no room for doubt whatsoever, either bigfoot is real or the story is a lie.

I think it would be good if you uploaded a drawing of the creature or found one online that matches what you saw.

Can you describe the tipi in any greater detail? for example, was it held together entirely by gravity or did it have bindings? what were its dimensions? did it seem to be made up of only fresh branches or a mix of dead and living material? was it made from only one specific foliage or a variety?

Also please describe it's teeth in greater detail.

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Interesting story jtheat,

I don't believe a word of it, but enjoyed reading it never the less.

Thanks for posting and welcome to UM.

Hope to see some of your thoughts on the bigfoot topics posted here.

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Interesting story jtheat,

I don't believe a word of it, but enjoyed reading it never the less.

Thanks for posting and welcome to UM.

Hope to see some of your thoughts on the bigfoot topics posted here.

im assuming its not the OP, but your view on Ape-men/Wild-men themselves, correct?

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im assuming its not the OP, but your view on Ape-men/Wild-men themselves, correct?

Yea it's pretty much the bigfoot thing, and that problem I have with not believing in the big guy. Nothing personal.

I'm loathed to call jtheat an out right lair, because I don't know him.

I'm reluctant to give him the benefit of the doubt, because I don't know him.

And I would never tell him he might be a troll messing with believers minds just to see there responses, because I don't know him.

I'm just saying I don't know this guy (he could be my grandmother for all I know). I thought it was a good story. Kinda like the three little pigs is a good story, but I don't believe it.

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I commend you for having the guts to come out and share this story, especially on UM where you are more likely than anywhere else to be torn apart about an experience like this. :D

What excites me most about your account is that you had no idea about the big ape-man prior to seeing him, and you reacted like anyone would. First confused, baffled, then extreme fear set in, but I'm really surprised you didn't start shooting. I guess the inexperience of being a hunter is what maybe caused that on top of your fear that it would aggravate the creature to harm you. It's also strange how it's territorial behavior was exhibited by throwing rocks, growling, and bearing it's teeth, much fitting of typical eyewitness descriptions of Bigfoot and his actions. I support you, sir. As much as science and logic can go against the existence of this animal, I believe you saw him.

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Yea it's pretty much the bigfoot thing, and that problem I have with not believing in the big guy. Nothing personal.

I'm loathed to call jtheat an out right lair, because I don't know him.

I'm reluctant to give him the benefit of the doubt, because I don't know him.

And I would never tell him he might be a troll messing with believers minds just to see there responses, because I don't know him.

I'm just saying I don't know this guy (he could be my grandmother for all I know). I thought it was a good story. Kinda like the three little pigs is a good story, but I don't believe it.

i know, i always try not to get my hopes up on anything of these accounts (ET, crypto, ancient mysteries etc).

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I"ll have to repost and rephrase so as not to hurt anyone's feelings. I believe the OP is lying. I would say that he was merely mistaken, but the level of detail indicates a lie. Or a lifetime spent recreating a false memory with each retelling.

Also, as an aside, I doubt that there was anyone living in america in 1976 who never heard of bigfoot.

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I"ll have to repost and rephrase so as not to hurt anyone's feelings. I believe the OP is lying. I would say that he was merely mistaken, but the level of detail indicates a lie. Or a lifetime spent recreating a false memory with each retelling.

Also, as an aside, I doubt that there was anyone living in america in 1976 who never heard of bigfoot.

goddamn. lots of people gone to jail from detailed testimonies.

neo, you should go inform the judicial system that theyre flawed, as you have definitive proof of it.

but, we knew your disbelief was coming. and is obviously accepted. everyone has an opinion, no one is greater or less than another.

i still found their account/story interesting.

Edited by Agent. Mulder
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I have to go with Mulder on this one. I transcribe a lot of testimonies, and some of them are QUITE detailed--more often than not, those who give the most information are being honest. I tend to notice the exact opposite when someone is lying in their testimony, they say little to nothing at all. They don't want to say something that could convict them or otherwise be disproved.

Sometimes you do get good liars who can come up with a nice, detailed story off the top of their head, but to create a convincing story that adds up in the end is very difficult.

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I have to go with Mulder on this one. I transcribe a lot of testimonies, and some of them are QUITE detailed--more often than not, those who give the most information are being honest. I tend to notice the exact opposite when someone is lying in their testimony, they say little to nothing at all. They don't want to say something that could convict them or otherwise be disproved.

Sometimes you do get good liars who can come up with a nice, detailed story off the top of their head, but to create a convincing story that adds up in the end is very difficult.

yeop. very true.

gotta be careful with all these accounts. its easy to make one up thats detailed. but, i also agree. people who leave it vague sometimes hint at lying about it. especially in these conditions, i mean, its in the light of day, of course they can give some half decent detail about something relatively close to them, and something they later observed in binoculars.

but, the skepticism is always there for me.

Edited by Agent. Mulder
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Thanks for sharing this story jtheat. It sounds very similar to other stories I heard of, or read. One story in particular was told to me by a hunter who had a similar experience; but at night. He had been an avid hunter all of his life and the experience effected him so much that he also refused to hunt again. He frequently hunted alone, but after his encounter he just wouldn't go back in the woods alone at all. Funny thing, he lives in Washington state, only a few miles away from some of the best elk hunting in the country.

PS. Rock throwing is commonly reported in these types of encounters. It strikes me really odd that someone "pranking" would throw rocks at a guy with a gun. To me, that's just really stupid.

PSS. Bears don't throw rocks.

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I have to go with Mulder on this one. I transcribe a lot of testimonies, and some of them are QUITE detailed--more often than not, those who give the most information are being honest. I tend to notice the exact opposite when someone is lying in their testimony, they say little to nothing at all. They don't want to say something that could convict them or otherwise be disproved.

Sometimes you do get good liars who can come up with a nice, detailed story off the top of their head, but to create a convincing story that adds up in the end is very difficult.

Your line of work is legal then?

I have found the opposite, very often one small lie leads to another, which then snowballs into a story no one can believe.

How do you feel the account "adds up"? I am curious, I want to know why people believe people.

Edited by psyche101
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Your line of work is legal then?

I have found the opposite, very often one small lie leads to another, which then snowballs into a story no one can believe.

How do you feel the account "adds up"? I am curious, I want to know why people believe people.

what are your reasons for feeling that it doesnt?

(excluding your non belief in the ape-men/wild-men obviously)

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Your line of work is legal then?

I have found the opposite, very often one small lie leads to another, which then snowballs into a story no one can believe.

How do you feel the account "adds up"? I am curious, I want to know why people believe people.

Yep.

That does happen, but in cases like that it's fairly easy to tell when someone is lying. They're caught early on because they'll quickly say something that doesn't match up with what was said previously--either by themselves or by someone else. The more "detail" they add, or more questions they answer, just sets them up for failure; which is why most people keep their fibs short and simple.

Though, I'm still on the fence about this particular story. All I've got to go on is this one relatively short account, I don't know the individual and there's quite a bit more that could be shared about the event.

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what are your reasons for feeling that it doesnt?

(excluding your non belief in the ape-men/wild-men obviously)

To me it reads like a collection of previous Biff stories with the best bits taken out and collaborated. Especially snarling Biff, you know the water one that was hoaxed? Excellent prose makes them all tie in. Also, the detail is so impeccable, yet broad brushed in a fashion that screams creative writing classes. Temp 60 Deg F in the fall on 1976? 60 Deg? Not warm or sultry, or humid, but 60 degrees. Then this one back in 1976 I have never heard of or knew anything about “Big Foot”. I am with Neo there. Less than a decade after Pattersons film. It was still considered authentic at the time, we even heard about it downunder. But not in the USA, in Biff country? That seems a little hard to swallow, then it snarled and chased? The thing was not happy? How is it the claimant is here today? After hearing the creature strides highways in two steps in no time at all, how did this creature not catch this witness and tear him up into little pieces? If it was sure he was leaving, why the pursuit at all? Why not shoot? Fear of angering it? But then if it did come, he would empty the gun into it? The fear sounds intense, but no shots were fired, and he sat in the car for a while looking at the thing he just escaped from? The scared for family bit sounds cheesy, I am a Dad and if I thought my little ones were in any danger, I would remove them, or take out the threat, not wait for the right real estate opportunity to come along.

And no attempt has been made to return and capture/kill a specimen.

These are the things I feel do not add up, no offense intended to the OP. That and the brilliant prose speaks loudly AUTHOR. f the OP does not write, he/she should. It is a very interesting tale to read.

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Yep.

That does happen, but in cases like that it's fairly easy to tell when someone is lying. They're caught early on because they'll quickly say something that doesn't match up with what was said previously--either by themselves or by someone else. The more "detail" they add, or more questions they answer, just sets them up for failure; which is why most people keep their fibs short and simple.

Though, I'm still on the fence about this particular story. All I've got to go on is this one relatively short account, I don't know the individual and there's quite a bit more that could be shared about the event.

Very interesting.

I dunno, quite often people get away with this for years before being found out. Thinking of cases like the recent horror stories where children have been kept in dungeons and so forth. These people must have had some long strung tales to get away with such for decades.

I'd prefer not to delve to deeply into this particular case, I'd just like to learn, there is some good stuff in here. Gets me offside with too many people when I poke holes. I have done enough with my post to Mulder already. I'd rather the tale keep inching along for now at least and learn more about the mind connections. Some people want Biff no matter what, I want to know about what sort of person that is.

But I agree, well written, very entertaining.

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Very interesting.

I dunno, quite often people get away with this for years before being found out. Thinking of cases like the recent horror stories where children have been kept in dungeons and so forth. These people must have had some long strung tales to get away with such for decades.

I'd prefer not to delve to deeply into this particular case, I'd just like to learn, there is some good stuff in here. Gets me offside with too many people when I poke holes. I have done enough with my post to Mulder already. I'd rather the tale keep inching along for now at least and learn more about the mind connections. Some people want Biff no matter what, I want to know about what sort of person that is.

But I agree, well written, very entertaining.

Not where I work. :P But, we don't do very large cases like that. Relatively small things. Theft, property rights... I'm only speaking from experience though. I've never listened to the testimonies of those who were involved in complex trials. For all I know the attorneys working on those cases might have been as daft and dumb as a pile of bull hockey. I dunno!

At any rate. Your post to Mulder does bring up some good points. I'll try to counter on some if I can.

Then this one back in 1976 I have never heard of or knew anything about “Big Foot”. I am with Neo there. Less than a decade after Pattersons film. It was still considered authentic at the time, we even heard about it downunder. But not in the USA, in Biff country?

It really depends on where you live and what you do. I was growing up in the 90s and I didn't know anything about Bigfoot until I was abouuutt... I'd say ten or eleven. And even then, I watched a LOT of Discovery Channel and crypto-related shows. But I just managed to skip out on all of the Biffgoodness somehow.

The thing was not happy? How is it the claimant is here today? After hearing the creature strides highways in two steps in no time at all, how did this creature not catch this witness and tear him up into little pieces? If it was sure he was leaving, why the pursuit at all?

Quite a few animals will prefer intimidation tactics as to fighting, when defending their territory. Why risk injury if you can just scare the opposition away? Given that BF is generally described as being similar in appearance to a human--if this was BF--then maybe he thought that the OP was a young BF interested in taking his territory. There's no point in fighting if you can scare him off, and that tactic was carried out beautifully.

Why not shoot?

Why shoot something you're unsure about? As the OP said, he didn't shoot because of its resembalance to a human.

and he sat in the car for a while looking at the thing he just escaped from?

It's natural to become an observer when you're out of harms way.

The scared for family bit sounds cheesy, I am a Dad and if I thought my little ones were in any danger, I would remove them, or take out the threat, not wait for the right real estate opportunity to come along.

It depends on a family's financial situation. Sometimes there is no option to move. When I was young I was in a horrible situation that I should have been removed from ASAP, but because of our situation and poor finances, I had to stay.

And no attempt has been made to return and capture/kill a specimen.

Not by the OP, no. But we don't know that someone else hasn't attempted. I could compare this circumstance to my endeavor to catalog big cats in the Appalachian mountains. I see no gain in killing or capturing a specimen, knowing that if I did then the hunt would be on. Big cats are dangerous, if I were to publicize their being here then they would be poached to their extinction here once again. Sometimes it is better to just leave things alone.

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goddamn. lots of people gone to jail from detailed testimonies.

neo, you should go inform the judicial system that theyre flawed, as you have definitive proof of it.

Are you not aware of the amount of people who are convicted on witness testimony and later exonerated?

I have to go with Mulder on this one. I transcribe a lot of testimonies, and some of them are QUITE detailed--more often than not, those who give the most information are being honest. I tend to notice the exact opposite when someone is lying in their testimony, they say little to nothing at all.

and how do you know who is lying and who is not?

Psychology tells us that over a 40+ year timespan, the retelling over and over of this story would see more detail added in. And the teller may even be convinced of that detail that was not there, fully believing the memory. But unfortunately, memory fades over time, not sharpens for a given event. Unless the teller is adding in more detail with each retelling. the memory becomes the retelling, not the actual event.

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and how do you know who is lying and who is not?

Psychology tells us that over a 40+ year timespan, the retelling over and over of this story would see more detail added in. And the teller may even be convinced of that detail that was not there, fully believing the memory. But unfortunately, memory fades over time, not sharpens for a given event. Unless the teller is adding in more detail with each retelling. the memory becomes the retelling, not the actual event.

Because of the evidence presented against the individuals (blah blah, there's no evidence for Bigfoot--I understand). Those who aren't afraid to talk are usually the ones being honest. The more they've got to say, the more they're willing to cooperate, the better the chance you've got someone telling the truth. Someone who barely answers questions, someone who stutters, who "umms" and "ahhs" and "I don't knows" tend to be your liars; that, or they're innocent and they know something that could get them into trouble.

Of course. If you've got a story to tell, it will always sound better written in a way that's creative. However, this story was not typed straight into the UM post field. For all we know, this story could be fairly old, typed ten or more years ago and is simply copy/pasted in here today. There is a character (–) that shows up in his post occasionally, it's a character used to auto-correct two dashes (--). Occasionally the OP uses the long dash, but you'll also find he has a single dash separating his sentences too. That suggests to me that his post was previously typed. Again, it could have been typed into Word immediately and transferred to UM moments later, or it could have existed sometime beforehand.

It depends on what details are being added. If this story is true, then quite a lot would have had to've changed between the actual event and the OP's retelling, if--for example--it was a bear.

And again, because I'm sure you're all, "Lord, that girl is an idiot, I wish she would shut up," I don't necessarily believe that this story IS the truth. But, I see some things that can be defended, so I'll defend them until I can't anymore. It makes for a fun game in an otherwise very boring day.

Edited by ebonycrow
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